AVINASH?PERSAUD, the executive chairman of Paradise Ltd., said yesterday that the restart of the Four Seasons Project could not have happened without the assistance of late Prime Minister David Thompson.
“It wouldn’t have happened without him,” Persaud said as several creditors filed into the Four Seasons office to collect monies owed to them for over two years.
The Democratic Labour Party Government provided the Four Seasons project with a loan of US$60 million in return for a 20 per cent stake in the project.
Thompson had expressed a wish to see a restart of the multimillion dollar project, which came to a halt two years ago. He had also travelled to London to have meetings with key players.
Persaud said yesterday that Thompson maintained confidence in the project and was eager to have it restarted.
“He saw early the bigger picture. He realised that it was not only about the hotel,” he said as he explained that the project would bring significant foreign exchange into the island.
He recalled that Thompson had taken a very keen individual interest in the project and would often fast-track decisions. “He would say confidently that it cannot happen without commitment,” Persaud disclosed. (MB)
